Michael Kors Beauty

Michael Kors is a brand I've always loved from afar but one I've never been able to afford. I remember constantly popping into the store in Leeds when I was a student to admire their handbags which have a permanent place on my 'when I'm rich' shopping list. Whilst I'm hopeful that one day I'll be the owner of a Michael Kors bag (ideally from their new Dusty Neutrals collection as it's absolutely beautiful) for the time being I have to find my little bit of luxury elsewhere. Designer beauty ranges are usually where I turn to if I want to treat myself or a loved one and when I was kindly introduced to Michael Kors White Fragrance* and the Indulgent Body Crème* the MK beauty range did not disappoint. It is as luxurious and elegant as I had always imagined it to be and the packaging... oh the packaging! I'm completely obsessed with how they look on my dressing table!

Michael Kors White Eau De Parfum - £39.00 for 30ml*

The Michael Kors White Eau De Parfum is rather different from any other perfume that I currently own. Best described as a musky white floral it definitely stands out amidst my collection of fresh, fruity fragrances. With top notes of freesia and ylang ylang the first sniff of MK's White brings to mind the freshness of dewy grass just after the rain. It's fresh but strangely comforting at the same time. The white florals make up the middle notes which dominate the perfume and the combination of the top notes with gardenia and peony create a very delicate, floral scent. Tuberose and jasmine closely follow and add a depth to the fragrance. It transforms into a richer, warmer scent that adds an unmistakable element of sophistication, femininity and even a hint of sexiness. The base notes enhance this richness and white musk is definitely the most prominent undertone of the scent. You can detect the musk almost immediately but it develops into a softer, creamier scent after a few hours, bringing out hints of vanilla, amber and cedar. 

The £3.99 Coco Mademoiselle Dupe

If there's one thing my mum is absolutely brilliant at it's sniffing out dupes to higher end perfumes. So when she handed me this Chanel Coco Mademoiselle dupe from Lidl (of all places!) I wasn't as skeptical as you might think. And to add to the pure brilliance of her bargain hunting she actually managed to nab this on sale for £1.99! Suddenly Madame Glamour normally retails for £3.99 for 50ml and even though the name and bottle aren't quite as charming and as elegant as the Chanel version the scent inside is absolutely identical (to my nose at least!)

On first application, if I'm being really picky, I'd say that the Lidl fragrance has stronger top notes than the Chanel and therefore Suddenly Madame Glamour is slightly more citrus scent to it. But, in all honestly, it took a lot of sniffing for me to detect such a difference and after wearing both perfumes for an hour, one on each arm, I struggled to tell them apart. After 4-5 hours both fragrances were rather faint on my skin and Coco Mademoiselle had a slightly more delicate, floral scent whereas Suddenly Madame Glamour was more musky but they still remained ridiculously similar. As for longevity, I'd say that both fragrances last equally as long on my skin but the Chanel seems to develop with a softer, lighter end result. As I'm writing this I'm becoming increasingly aware of how many times I want to say slightly and it really proves that the difference between both fragrances is so minimal! The price difference, however, is not as marginal and for 50ml of Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle(Eau de Parfum) you'd be parting with £70. 

For special evenings I always reach for Chanel. One thing Chanel can do that Lidl simply can't is instantly make me feel extra fancy. I know it might be shallow but who can resist the charm of Chanel? However, even though I adore Coco Mademosielle, and as much as I'd love to wear it every day, I simply can't afford the price tag. So, for daily wear I'll always reach for the Lidl alternative and so far nobody has been able to tell the difference! So shh, let's keep this secret between us shall we?

What do you all think of cheaper, dupe fragrances?

Would you try Suddenly Madame Glamour?  

Review | The Library of Fragrance: Moonbeam

What on earth does a Moonbeam smell like, I hear you ask? Well, that's exactly what I was thinking when I stumbled across this fragrance whilst browsing The Library of Fragrance's huge scent collection online a couple of months ago. The company, known as Demeter Fragrance in the USA, differs from your average perfumery as they're known for capturing singular scents like Baby Powder, Apple Blossom and even Pizza! They also have a linear structure, as opposed to traditional fragrances which have top, heart and base notes, so they don't change on your skin over time and always aim to represent the object or experience they're named after.

Moonbeam* is one of the company's more subjective fragrances and it's inspired by a Shelley poem which I'm pretty certain has to be Love Philosophy:

The fountains mingle with the river 

   And the rivers with the ocean, 

The winds of heaven mix for ever 

   With a sweet emotion; 

Nothing in the world is single; 

   All things by a law divine 

In one spirit meet and mingle. 

   Why not I with thine?— 

See the mountains kiss high heaven 

   And the waves clasp one another; 

No sister-flower would be forgiven 

   If it disdained its brother; 

And the sunlight clasps the earth 

   And the moonbeams kiss the sea: 

What is all this sweet work worth 

   If thou kiss not me? 

- Percy Bysshe Shelley

After reading the poem I had already started to imagine what Moonbeam would smell like (I think it sets the scene really nicely!) and I'm actually quite surprised at how well they've managed to capture an experience in a fragrance: think taking a romantic stroll around a moonlit garden on a still, Summer's night. Moonbeam is both soft and sensual, it manages to express the innocence of the light but also the darkness and temptation of the night. The mixture of vanilla and chocolate add a sweetness to the perfume whilst the presence of green leaves, jasmine, lily of the valley, amber and precious woods give Moonbeam an earthy, musky undertone. The Library of Fragrance defines Moonbeam as a gourmand floral and I can't think of a better way to define it! As I usually gravitate towards fresh, fruity scents Moonbeam is a little bit different to the majority of the fragrances in my collection but I love reaching for it when I'm in a relaxed mood and in need of something softer and soothing.

My mum (who favours musky, floral scents) adores Moonbeam exactly as it is but I often find myself wishing that, during the warmer months at least, it had a little bit more of a fruity note added to it. And, after going back on the website, I found that I can do just that with Moonbeam but adding another scent on top of and experimenting with layers. I absolutely adore this idea of creating your own unique scent by layering other fragrances on top and the smart people at The Library of Fragrance actually help those who are new to this idea by providing some scent suggestions catered to each individual fragrance. To transform Moonbeam into that fresher, fruiter scent all I have to do is layer it with Fresh Coconut. I've listed their suggestions below so you can get a better idea of what I mean:

To add a Fruity Note, layer with: Fresh Coconut

To add a Clean Note: Musk #7

To add a Fresh Note: Thunderstorm

To add a Sweet Note: Vanilla Ice Cream

To add a Floral Note: Jasmine

To add a Wood/Spicy Note: Patchouli

All of the fragrances from The Library of Fragrance are Cologne Sprays and typically contain around 2-8% of Perfume Oil which makes them ideal for layering. I've found that Moonbeam lasts around 4-5 hours on my skin and it's actually a scent I can smell on myself without being overpowering! For 30ml, each fragrance retails for £15 (or you can pick up 2 for £25 in Boots!). I'm actually really impressed with how the quality of Moonbeam and I already have my eye on Lychee, Fresh Coconut and Ocean so I can start adding to my collection!

Have you tried anything from The Library of Fragrance?

You can read more about Moonbeam here, on The Library of Fragrance website!

*This post contains a PR sample.

Karen Walker Fragrance Launch & Interview!

I still can't quite believe how lucky I was to be invited to a very special event at Harvey Nichols in Leeds a month or two ago. It was definitely one of those moments you just can't really believe is happening and I'm still in awe about the fact that I had the opportunity to interview the incredible Karen Walker at the launch of her new trio of fragrances. I don't know how many of you have heard of Karen Walker but she's a wonderfully talented fashion designer (and such a kind and funny woman!) who's been listed in the Business of Fashion's BOF500 (a list of people shaping the global fashion industry) each year since the list was launched. She's already taken the world of fashion by storm and her amazing eyewear collection has celeb fans such as Alex Chung *swoon*, Alessandra Ambrosio, Beyonce, Rihanna, Miranda Kerr, Kate Bosworth, Scarlett Johansson just to name a few (I could seriously go on fangirling forever!) and now she's delving into the world of fragrance. As expected her trio of fragrances, curiously named A, B and C, bottle up the vibrant and optimistic style of the Karen Walker woman and work harmoniously together as a wardrobe of fragrances which allow a woman to have a scent for any mood, day, time or occasion.